Fighting the good fight

Punching the Clock: The Nate Diaz Approach to Asking for a Raise

Few fighters are as divisive as Nick and Nate Diaz. For every fan who appreciates their honest, non-canned responses to questions, there are camps dedicated to loathing them for the way they deliver their honesty. It’s no surprise then that when Nate Diaz talked to Ariel Helwani yesterday about his problem with how much he is paid by the UFC, that both sides—the pro and anti-Diaz throngs—found something to talk about… loudly.

Nate Diaz already had his employer in his cross hairs when he tweeted that he wouldn’t be available to headline a fight against Gray Maynard, citing a conflicting engagement with his high school reunion.

@ufc Cant make it november 30th ive gotta high school reuinion i have to tend too…

In his talk with Ariel Helwani, however, Nate reveals that his anger over his compensation stems from a result of talking to his fellow colleagues and friends about their own contracts. Says Diaz, “I want to be paid like these other fighters. I’m over here getting chump change. At this point, they’re paying all my partners and other people I train with are getting real money, and it’s too embarrassing for me to even fight again for the money they’re paying me.”

You hear that? That’s the sound of the anti-Nate Diaz faction rattling their sabers. They will say Nate Diaz is getting exactly what a fighter who is 1-2 in his last 3 fights is supposed to get, especially one who lost in a title fight. They will argue that a contract is a contract, and he should honor it, win some fights, and re-negotiate in a forum other than the Internet. They are a loud mob, and they have valid points.

Of course, honoring a contract is the right thing to do, but on Monday, the UFC cut ties with Jake Shields even though Shields still had one remaining fight on his contract. So it seems contracts aren’t necessarily as true as the North Star. Also, to further wave a red flag in front of the horned anti-Diaz-ites, it’s only human to look at a coworker or boss and start to compare value and worth. Everyone who works at a regular 9-5 has had the same reaction at some point. Someone you work with makes more than you. Some make meaningfully more than you. Some make an obscene amount of money more than you. Granted, there’s a significant gap in seeing your boss drive around in a sports car compared to Nate’s boss who once shipped snow into his Las Vegas home to make it feel more like Christmas or who brags about losing millions at a poker, but it’s only human to compare one’s worth that way, especially if you take pride in what you do. Especially if what you feel you do is more than a job.

All things being equal, the blame doesn’t lie with Dana White or the UFC for Nate’s contract. They presented him with an offer. Nate took said offer. If Nate doesn’t like the deal he signed, it’s not the UFC’s problem. If Diaz is a broke as he claims and desperately needs the money, there are avenues outside of fighting he should look into. His IRS issues, his mother’s needs, his embarrassment around his colleagues who make more than him—those are Nate Diaz issues. And, he’s likely not the only fighter on the roster in the UFC in a similar position.

However, the backlash against Diaz for looking out for his own best interests and vocalizing his displeasure is also misplaced. Whether it’s similar to his interview with Helwani or on Twitter, more fighters should take a page out of the books of both Nate Diaz and Josh Burkman. The wants of the fans, the promoter, the sport—they should all be secondary to the fighter’s own best interests. In the end, no one should care more about your career than you do.

Unless you pay someone care, that is. Nate is doing what he can to be better compensated. He’s shouting at the mountains, when he should be training and fighting. Say what you want about Team Takedown’s management percentage in its agreement with Johny Hendricks, the welterweight champ has never had to go to Twitter to be his own advocate. Someone else gets paid to do that for him. Avocation should not be on Nate’s “to do” list. That’s his manager’s job. The same manager who said, “I suck as a manager lol.” Nate Diaz went from making $50k to show/$50 to win in a title fight loss against Ben Henderson to making $15k to show/$15k to win in a fight against Gray Maynard (a fight in which Gray was paid $45k just to show). Hopefully, Nate Diaz isn’t the only person who took a pay cut in his last fight. “LOL” indeed.

Where Nate Diaz’s situation with the UFC goes now is anyone’s guess. It feels like a stalemate, which is a shame because Diaz is a tough out for anyone at 155-pounds. Whether fans love Nate Diaz or love to hate Nate Diaz, he generates interest by simply being himself in a sport where too many competitors are trying too hard to sell themselves in order to make fights interesting. The price tag for something or someone like that seems pretty invaluable.